Department of Health Management and Health Economics
Faculty of Medicine
University of Oslo
English
Written exam June 2nd 2014, 9:00am - 1:00pm
HMAN4220 – Health organization development and design
No special exam resources are allowed.
Results will be made available within three weeks, see the board at the
Department of Health Management and Health Economics, Forskningsveien 3A.
The results will also be posted on StudentWeb.
The Written Exam consists of 3 pages including this one.
Remember to write down your candidate number so this is easily accessible
when the results become available.
The best of luck!
Spring 2014
Examination paper HMAN 4220
Both assignment 1 and assignment 2 are to be answered. In assignment 1, either a or b needs
to be answered. In assignment 2, four out of six questions need to be answered. Assignment 1
account for 50% of the total grade and assignment 2 account for 50%.
Assignment 1)
a) Norwegian healthcare organizations have gone through profound changes during the last
ten years. Most hospitals have been involved in mergers with other hospitals. Give a
description of this trend and discuss how strategic leadership is relevant in this context.
If you choose this assignment then the heading should be: Strategic leadership.
or:
b) The amount of private hospitals has increased in Norway. The private hospitals have to
define themselves in relation to existing public health care services. The private hospitals are
challenging the public providers on delivering health care services. This triggers special
leadership challenges in both private and public sector on how to strategically position the
organization in the health care “market”.
Give an account for the concept of strategy and competitive advantage. Discuss the difference
between a market structure view and a resource based view and show how these views relates
to strategic management in both private and public hospitals.
If you choose this assignment then the heading should be: Charting the future
Assignment 2)
Please answer four out of six questions:
a) What are the criteria of an effective strategy statement? Give an example of such a
statement and explain why you think it meets the criterias?
b) Give a short description of the differences between an action organization and a political
organization.
c) Explain what Brunson mean with the term “the organization of hypocrisy”
d) Give a brief description of the professional bureaucracy, what is the prime coordinating
mechanism and explain the term “pigeonholing”.
e) Explain what Mintzberg mean about the “evolution of organizations” – is hospitals in the
beginning or the end of this evolution?
f) Explain what is meant by looking at organization design activities in two different ways –
looking at it as a craft (as an artistic task) and as a “science” (as a technical task)”.
The heading should be: Questions